3dodgedoobie Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 ok been working on the ol 52. previous owner put a front clip under it with 318 auto donated from a 87 fifth avenue.v8 dodge dakota rearend under it. well he had the huge rake to it. like a 8 inch rake. but got all under cab and frame por15. mounted plastic tank under cab using stock filler location. but im lowering the back down to make it even or close. just wondering if anyone knows how much the bed weighs. its a high side bed. that way i can take it into account on the lowering part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 ok been working on the ol 52. previous owner put a front clip under it with 318 auto donated from a 87 fifth avenue.v8 dodge dakota rearend under it. well he had the huge rake to it. like a 8 inch rake. but got all under cab and frame por15. mounted plastic tank under cab using stock filler location. but im lowering the back down to make it even or close. just wondering if anyone knows how much the bed weighs. its a high side bed. that way i can take it into account on the lowering part. my 9' bed weighed in around 500 pounds I'd say with all the wood and supports. 4 guys could easily lift it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 500 lbs. wow! My son and I lifted my 6'6" bed with the tall sides, on my truck. Now it wasn't pretty but we got the job done. I have a plywood floor which might be a bit heavier than solid wood boards. 1/3 of 500 = 170 +/-. 500 - 170 = 330#, H-m-m-m that might be close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dodgedoobie Posted August 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 ggdad1951 glad i dont have the 9 ft bed. mine the 6ft 6. pflaming thats what i was guessing around 350. but wasnt sure. me and my dad put my bed over on my trailer. had some rollers laying around and had to lift one side at time to get them under bed. then ued come a long to get it on trailer. the previous owner made it a complete bed. with bolts and welding cross braces on bottom. so its heavy. but on a plus side i got extra complete bed from donor truck. im going to put up. incase this one is not square or fixable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave72dt Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 ok been working on the ol 52. previous owner put a front clip under it with 318 auto donated from a 87 fifth avenue.v8 dodge dakota rearend under it. well he had the huge rake to it. like a 8 inch rake. but got all under cab and frame por15. mounted plastic tank under cab using stock filler location. but im lowering the back down to make it even or close. just wondering if anyone knows how much the bed weighs. its a high side bed. that way i can take it into account on the lowering part. Dropping the rear down that far is going to make some serious geometry changes to the front suspension and steering. I'd do some measuring up front to see how accurately it was installed and if it's correct for the new ride height. You won't like driving it if it isn't correct. Removing the short box for dissasembley - 2 people. Assembly with fresh paint-4 people. Off the truck, no tailgate or floor boards, crosspieces, I can move a short box around by myself. 9' sides- one side at a time is all I want and it's still awkward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 justy because the work was done prior does not mean it was done correctly..do follow the advice given above..veryify the caster angle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Babb Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 How are you going to lower it that much in the rear? Seems like you'd have to cut the frame for some clearance to drop it 8 inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted August 27, 2012 Report Share Posted August 27, 2012 axle placement for trucks are generally springs over the axle tube..ie added ground clearance..place them under the tube and you have set the vehicle lower.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dodgedoobie Posted August 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 the way he did front was cradle swap out of 87 chrysler fifth avenue with torsion bars. i went threw front end first and made sure it was done correctly. and took it to friends garage with alignment machine and front was almost dead on. had to change tie rods. checked the rear and it in line also. no dog legging. it was very awkward driving with a terrible rake to it. i plan on doing flip kit. of course previous owner had shackles with extenders that had about 2 inches to it so took those out and mounted rear leaf to new hangers. also this is not first lowered truck. i got a dakota bagged and bodied. so i know all about the suspension. done this many times (side bussiness). lowered many many trucks and cars. i do about one a month for the last 9yrs. anywhere from static to full airride. and one hydro(not my cup of tea). they are about 5 of us in this area that do this stuff regularly. and 2 of them wont touch anything dodge related. so they refer those to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave5711 Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 It's more likely that lowering the rear will bring the angles back to where they should be, instead of making them worse. Caster will be improved, thus high speed handling waaaaay better. My crown vic suspension giuves me 5 degrees of caster on my ph. That's with a pretty good rake already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dodgedoobie Posted August 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2012 got her lowered down, new brakes and going to bleed them saturday. then reinstall the bed. i can already tell its sitting closer so i think what i did with flip kit will be enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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